6 Best Immigrant Family New Life in America Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 7, 2026

Starting over in a new country takes hope and a lot of courage, and these films show the cost. Brooklyn has a young Irish woman choosing between her new American life and home, A Better Life has an undocumented gardener in Los Angeles trying to give his teenage son a future, and The Visitor has a withdrawn professor befriending an undocumented couple. Sin Nombre, The Namesake and In America round out the six.

Brooklyn (2015)

TMDB ★ 7.4

An Irish immigrant in 1950s New York is torn between her new life and the one she left behind.

Directed by John Crowley · 1h 51m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Better Life (2011)

TMDB ★ 7.2

An undocumented gardener in Los Angeles struggles to give his teenage son a better future while facing deportation.

Directed by Chris Weitz · 1h 38m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sin Nombre (2009)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A gang member and a migrant girl form an uneasy alliance while riding freight trains toward the US border.

Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga · 1h 36m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Visitor (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A withdrawn college professor forms an unexpected friendship with an undocumented immigrant couple squatting in his apartment.

Directed by Tom McCarthy · 1h 44m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Namesake (2006)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A Bengali-American man navigates his identity between his immigrant parents' arranged marriage and his own life in New York.

Directed by Mira Nair · 2h 02m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

In America (2003)

TMDB ★ 7.4

An Irish immigrant family starts a new life in a rundown New York apartment building while grieving a death.

Directed by Jim Sheridan · 1h 45m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Immigrant Family New Life in America Movies

Brooklyn (2015)

A Better Life (2011)

Sin Nombre (2009)

The Visitor (2008)

The Namesake (2006)

In America (2003)

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